WATERBURY, Conn. – The Post University Eagles volleyball team heads into the 2026 season riding a wave of momentum from last year amid a productive offseason. Beginning a new era for the Eagles, Head Coach Tiffany Verni returns for her fifth season with a record of 64-61 amongst Assistant Coach, Alexis Neider and former Eagle under Verni, Graduate Assistant Coach, Alyssa Groves.
The Eagles received 22 votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association preseason poll for the 2026 season. Coaches from member institutions across all conferences and divisions make up the voting panel. Those 22 votes come at the culmination of a 26-6 season in which Post finished first in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference and saw multiple program records broken, including all-time kills, all-time digs and sets played amongst a slew of other awards. Groves and Kristina Peric both received Division II Conference Commissioner's Association All-American First Team honors. The CACC named Peric their Player of the Year and Groves received the CACC Defensive Player of the Year award for the second season in a row.
The Eagles posted a scorching 9-0 start, losing their first game to Bentley University. As the #1 seed in the CACC, playing in the North Division, Post opened playoff competition against the South Division's #4 seed, Jefferson University, on the Eagles' home court. After beating them in three sets, Post continued to the CACC semi-finals, facing S#2, Holy Family University, who defeated the Eagles in five sets at Drubner Center on Post's senior day just two weeks prior.
In the semi-finals, the Eagles took the Tigers to five sets again on a neutral court. Although the Eagles aimed to set the tone for the game in a first-set win, they eventually fell to the Tigers again, but the despair did not continue for long as Verni's relentless squad received an at-large bid to play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament.
The Eagles' first opponent as they began their revenge tour was the familiar American International College. Playing just an hour and a half from AIC's campus, Post earned their first-ever NCAA Tournament win. Peric had 16 kills and Elyana Ortiz added 11. As a libero, Alyssa Groves had 16 digs in the four-set victory. The next day, Post went on to face the #1 seed and tournament host, Bentley, who handed the Eagles their first loss of the season just over two months prior. Again, the Eagles fell in four sets and this time, Bentley put the finishing touch on Post's season.
Looking ahead to the 2026 season, Verni recruited seven energy-filled freshmen and five experienced transfer players. Returning players include Lola Chagnon, Alani Duncan, Vivien Andrea Fehervari, Catelina Luzader, Rayssa Satlher and Elyana Ortiz. The Eagles will begin their season on Friday, Aug. 28 in a double-header against Queens College and AIC at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. as part of the Long Island Invitational Tournament. Their first home game is Sept. 15 versus Caldwell University at 6:00 p.m. and will open CACC competition.
